MFT Creative Chat-Desk and Tools

It's time for the MFT Creative Chat. The My Favorite Things Design Team Creative Chat is a monthly feature, where we are challenged to explore our creative spaces and share valuable organizational methods, tools, and shopping strategies with you. You'll be able to peek into our creative spaces, ask questions, and share your own ideas in the MFT forum.  This month, we were asked the following questions:  

Show us your desk.  How do you have things set up, and why?  

What are your "go-to" tools?  Tell us what you can't live without.

I chickened out last month, but I'm here this time.  My desk needed a good pick up, so this was the perfect excuse.  BUT I thought some of you might like to see my desk on a typical day.  I took a before shot for you. Before, meaning, before I picked up for the rest of the pictures on today's blog post.    

I am NOT one of those people that pick up after each project.  I do put away most major tools, re-stack papers pads, and put away ink pads, stamp sets, and copics.....BUT......scraps, bits and pieces of ribbon, and ALWAYS dimensional backings are left scattered all over.

Let's jump in, I've got lots to share on my desk tour today. Lots of Pictures....hope you likey!

So here's how I work. I have a hand-me-down desk from my DH's grandfather.  I work with everything right at my finger tips and within a 3 foot radius.  It's really kind of funny, how sometimes I have to crawl into my desk chair, stepping over papers, and projects.  I literally use all the space around me, even the floor. LOL!

I have a MS Score board, with  a Scor-pal cutting mat sitting on top.  This is new to me and I'm still giving it a trial run. 

In the top desk drawer is my scrubby pad, and my acrylic blocks.  I also store my watercoloring tools to the back of this drawer.  I used to use them all the time, but since my copics, I rarely reach for these tools.  You'll see I have a collection of acrylic blocks, most of them Unity (I love the wooden handles), but my favorite is the long skinny one from SU (I think it's H). I use it for most of my sentiments.

Directly to my left, in the top drawer is my paper cutter.  I have an older Fiskars Triple track.  You can see the black scoring blade, I keep that on my cutter at all times and quickly can rotate between the cutting blade and scoring blade to score a card base if I need too.

These two, top  drawers are almost always open (at least halfway),  since I use them all the time.

The drawer directly below my cutter drawer is my Corner Chomper drawer.  This drawer used to hold all my SU tools and my circle cutters (Creative Memories).  While those tools are still there, I needed a deeper drawer for these bigger, sturdier tools. Plus I used these Corner Chompers all the time, especially the corner rounder. Love that I can round thicker items (chipboard and double layers of cardstock) with one punch.  I've purchased them all with a 40% coupon!

To my left on my desk, I have ribbon (actually you'll see I'm surrounded by ribbon. I have many, many storage options for all my spools of yummy, beautiful ribbon) and one of these craft storage cubes.  It  has a shelf that holds my jute twine, and all my button jars-Two of my 3 most used embellishments!

 I also love that it has two canvas drawers and I have one full of all my adhesives-scor tape, Jody Boosters, snail, mono-multi, Hermafix, and glue dots.  It's all there and I can grab what I need very easily. My most used glue, the liquid kind,  sits out in the open.

The other drawer holds some SU markers, but I also tuck my BELOVED ribbon scissors in there.  I ONLY cut ribbon with these scissors. Am I weird, that I enjoy every little snip I make with these bad boys??? LOL!

Directly in front of me are two Apothecary jars I rescued from my DH's grandma's garage sale. I shove all my ribbon scraps in one and the other holds my sponges.  I add a lot of distressing to my edges, so I have to be able to grab the correct sponge.  I used to use daubers, but recently bought the Tim Holtz blending tool and I'm quickly falling in love with that.

You can also see that my Ott light sits right on my desk as well. I got this one for Christmas last year, finally, and I really don't know how I stamped without one for so long. I need another one to help with shadows, but for now I'm grateful for the one I have.

Directly above these jars, and on the walls are some more ribbon storage and all my punches.  I got some  towel rods from Ikea and the baskets to go with them. While they are pretty, and I love looking at my punches, unfortunatley, I hardly ever reach for those these days.  Thank-YOU die-namics!

Following clockwise on my desk, next up is my copic storage. I use this White Magpie Storage System. I love it and it has a little drawer on the bottom that I use to hold my little ink cubes. 
The upper left corner is a cubby that holds other tools I use quite a bit: sanding blocks (can really extend the life of a cutting blade...just rub and remove any paper fuzzies), adhesive remover, a ruler (drawing in lines or sidewalks to ground my stamped images), a paper piercer, pens, and pencils.
See those two small SU punches....those are probably the only punches I use now adays. One is my horizontal slot punch. Love it for making little knotches for my ribbon to slide through on a cad panel. The other is the ticket corner punch. I dusted that one off when MFT released the ticket die-namics. It's fun to have a matching corner!

I use the top to hold my most used ink pads-momento, and distress inks, and also my Staz-on and Versamark and a few PTI pads I own.
The rest of my ink pads are to my back, on top of another set of storage cubes.  I got one of the SU ink caddy's at the stamp consignment store I teach at (Your Stamping Cottage).  So fun, and I didn't spend a fortune on it. You can see I have easy acces to my stickles and glimmer mists, too.

Back to my desk, on the right side drawers, I store my heat tool and bakers twine.  I wrapped all the twine onto these small ribbon holders and they fit nicely on a giant ring that I hang right on the drawer pull.
I forgot to take a picture of it, but  the second drawer on my right holds all my embossing folders. 

On the floor to my right is the stack of my newest, and seasonal 6x6 paper pads.  I have to see them, to use them, so having them stored in a drawer or box doesn't work for me. When new ones come in, I store them to my left and add the newest batch to the floor. I also keep a small basket filled with all the recent MFT release stamps on the floor (can't show you.....it has all the new Dec. release stamps and you have to wait until tomorrow for the first teaser!). Easy to reach and easy to use.

I also have a sweet little, wooden tool box that the Joshua made me last year in scouts. Joshua decided the boys could decorate it and give it to me for Christmas.  It is one of my prized possesions in my my craft room.  It holds my 12x12 papers that are my current favorites.

The last picture I have to share is the rest of my white scrapbook storage units.  They sit to my left, inside the closet and they hold everything else that I may need. 



Visit Kim's Blog for a full list of designers that have taken up the challenge and get ready to delve into the minds of our creative team.
PLUS....there's a SPECIAL ANNONCEMENT you won't want to miss!

Thanks for hanging with me! See you back here tomorrow for the start of the December teasers!